Hooked Up: What did I ever do to be treated so badly?

On a warm and humid evening last week my two younger brothers, Brad and Joe, conspired to rip my heart out! I was sitting alone in my home while the two of them stepped into a Lake Michigan tributary and began to catch some very nice salmon. Did I mention that they cut my heart out?

On a warm and humid evening last week my two younger brothers, Brad and Joe, conspired to rip my heart out! I was sitting alone in my home while the two of them stepped into a Lake Michigan tributary and began to catch some very nice salmon. Did I mention that they cut my heart out?

I am sure neither one shed a tear for me as they cranked in some very nice fish with several going well into the 30-pound range. I would be willing to bet that they both had a nice little chuckle on the ride home when discussing how I would react to the results of their fishing trip. Brothers!

My brother Brad has perfected a fishing technique that brother Joe apparently managed to master rather quickly since Brad told me that Joe caught the first fish. Joe also managed to hook and land his second while Brad was still putting the first one on a stringer.

Somewhere in the September night, on that little river, my brothers whooped my butt in the game of salmon fishing and I do not like it. How could something this horrific come to be? Did I mention that this was Joe's first time to fish this spot?

I would like to take all the credit for teaching my younger brothers to fish. However, when I think back on my younger years, I seem to recall a lot of yelling, "You're not going with me!" directed toward the two of them when I was headed to the river.

I liked to spend as much time on the water as I could when I was young, but I also enjoyed my privacy. I also didn't want anyone to know what I was catching or how I was catching them. Life for me, back in the day, was all about secrets. But, don't get me wrong, we had our fair share of group fishing time as well.

As I reflect back on those important "learning" years, it comes to me that perhaps they both owe me a great big thank you for much of their fishing success. Like the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." I think, in a roundabout way, that some of my actions as a younger man caused the two of them to become better fishermen.

They had to step up their game in spite of me, so they became the successful outdoorsmen they are today. Yeah, I see no reason why I cannot and should not take some – or most or even all – of the credit for their success and outdoor skills! I mean, that was my intention in the first place, to help them out.

Page 2 of 2 - What do I get in return, not the big brother of the year award I so deserve, rather, I am forced to see pictures of my brothers hoisting up trophy salmon. I love salmon fishing and just seeing a picture of anyone but me holding up a nice salmon cuts me to the quick. So naturally when I received the call from Brad that he and Joe had tore the salmon up well, that was just about as bad as it could get but it does not stop there. Oh no, Joe had to go and share a picture of his big fish to just rip my guts out and stomp all over them.

That's what I get in return for years of not letting him follow – um, I mean, teaching him how to be a great outdoorsman. Now I am not the kind of brother who would ever hold a grudge or anything like that but, I think Brad and I are going fishing again this week and I plan on catching a fish two maybe even seven times as big as the minnow Joe caught and I will be taking it straight to his house just to rub it ... show him my catch.

Remember to watch for hunters as you fish the rivers in your area as hunting season will open this week. Wear bright colors when possible and avoid any accidents with anxious hunters. Remember to sharpen your hooks and put fresh line on your rod because the salmon are running larger than typical by most accounts and you might just happen to hook a real trophy. Have fun, use care when in the wild and remember, it's a great outdoors.

Jim Kilchermann is an avid outdoorsman who is very happy for the recent success of his brothers. He does however, plan on catching bigger, much bigger fish than they did. I can be reached at jimkilchermann@yahoo.com to share any stories. Until next time, stay out of the snags and keep all of your shots in the ten ring.